Boom bucket



June 24, 1941.. MQRTAG, 2,247,158

BOOM BUCKET Filed Sept. 11, 1939 F/G 2, K

Patented June 24, 1941 amuse BOOM BUCKET Edward H. Mortag, Wauwatosa, Wis, assignor to Koehring Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application September 11, 1939, Serial No. 294,375

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a concrete distributing bucket, and more particularly to an improved arrangement of the discharge openings and closure members therefor b which the discharge of concrete aggregates from the bucket is effected.

This invention is an improvement upon the type of concrete distributing bucket illustrated and described in Reissue Letters Patent No. 15,768, reissued February 19, 1924, to Erich H. Lichtenberg. In the type of concrete distributing bucket therein illustrated, the bucket is adapted to receive mixed concrete aggregates from a mixing machine and is mounted for movement along a boom to carry the concrete aggregates to a place where they are to be deposited. The concrete is discharged through a single opening in the bottom of the bucket in a rib-bonlike layer as the bucket is moved along the boom over the surface of the subgrade on which the concrete is to be deposited, the shape and size of the concrete ribbon being controlled by the extent of opening movement of a single door used as a closure member for the discharge opening in the bottom of the bucket. known in the art, such constructions are advantageous over those types of apparatus in which the concrete is deposited on the ground in one large mass to be subsequently spread by manual or other means.

However, in using concrete distributing buckets of the type shown in the aforementioned Reissue Letters Patent No. 15,768, it has been found that there is a tendency of the aggregates to pack between the door closure member and the end wall of the bucket thereby interfering with free discharge movement of the concrete from the bucket. In addition, there is a certain amount of segregation of the concrete aggregates as they move by gravity from the remote portions of the distributing bucket to the discharge opening. There is also a further undesirable segregation of the aggregates which is effected by the aggregates falling from the bucket to the surface on which they are to be deposited, it being necessary that the bucket be held a certain distance above the ground in order to permit a proper discharge of the aggregates from the distributing bucket.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to provide a concrete distributing bucket which will permit the discharge of the aggregates from the bucket in a divided stream for deposit on the ground in superimposed ribbon-like layers of concrete and thereby eliminate the tend- As is well ency of the aggregates to pack in the discharge opening and which will admit the positioning of the distributing bucket lower to the surface of the ground in order to reduce the amount of see-- regation caused by the aggregates falling to the ground.

A further object is to provide in a concrete distributing bucket of the character referred to, a pair of parallel doors which are movable to open or discharging positions to permit the discharge of concrete from the bucket in a divided stream, for deposit on the surface of the ground in superimposed ribbon-like layers as the distributing bucket is moved over the surface on which the concrete is to be deposited.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing a concrete distributing boom and bucket, the dotted lines indicating the adjacent portion of the mixing machine upon which the boom and bucket mechanism is mounted.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View of the concrete distributing bucket shown in Figure 1,

a part thereof being broken away, illustrating the arrangement of the doors controlling the discharge of the aggregates from the bucket through the discharge openings and a part of the mechanism by which movement of the doors is controlled, dotted lines showing the door mechanism in open position.

Referring to the drawing, the letter A designates as a whole a distributing bucket which is provided with a carriage B by which the bucket A may be carried back and forth across a supporting boom C mounted on a concrete mixing machine D. A cableE and suitable operating and control mechanism therefor (not shown) is provided for imparting the desired distributing movement to the bucket A along the boom C in a manner well known in the art. The bucket A is provided with door operating mechanism F, which includes adjustable stop and trip control devices (not shown) for causing and limiting movement of the closure member for the bucket A from closed to open position in accordance with the showing of the aforementioned Reissue Letters Patent No. 15,768.

Referring now to Figure 2, the bucket A comprises spaced vertical side walls I connected together by end walls 2 and 3, and a bottom indicated as a whole by the numeral 4.

An opening 5' is provided in the rear top portion of the bucket A permitting the charging of the bucket with concrete aggregates, the bottom 4 of the bucket being closed in a manner to be described to retain the concrete in the interior of the bucket. The configuration of the bucket A corresponds to the distributing bucket illustrated and described in Patent No. 2,190,339 issued Feb. 13, 1940, to Oscar Sheck, and is adapted to cooperate with the charging chute of the mixing machine to effect a deposit of concrete aggregates in the distributing bucket with a minimum of segregation of the aggregates as disclosed in the aforementioned application.

Accordingly, it will be apparent that the foregoing features are well known in the art, and form no part per se of this invention, this invention being limited to the arrangement of the door closure members in the bottom 4 and operating mechanism therefor.

The lower edges of the side walls I and connecting end walls 2 and 3 define an opening in the bottom 4 of the bucket. A dividing member 5 extends transversely between opposite side walls I and divides the opening in the bottom 4 into two substantially parallel openings adapted to be closed by doors 5 and 1. The door 6 is pivotally connected to the lower edge of the rear end wall 3 for pivotal movement about its pivo'tal axis 8 to a position with its outer edge 9 abutting against the dividing member 5, closing one of the openings in the bottom l. The door I is pivotally connected to the dividing member 5 for pivotal movement about an axis H) to a position with its outer edge H abutting against the lower edge of the forward end wall 2 closing the other of the openings in the bottom 4. By reason of the mounting of the doors 6 and I, it will be noted that these doors are both pivotally movable in a counter-clockwise direction with respect to the mixer D from closed to open posi- .tions.

The mechanism F for effecting movement of the doors 6 and l to positions, as shown in dotted lines uncovering the parallel transverse openings in the bottom 4 comprises an actuating member I2 pivotally connected to a crank l3 keyed to a shaft 54 rotatably mounted in the carriage B. Each of the doors 6 and I are pivotally connected to separate links l5 which are pivotally connected to the outer ends of a cross link It. A resilient spring I! is interposed between the actuating member I2 and its connection to the cross link it for resiliently holding the doors 6 and I in a closed position. It will be noted that opening movement of the doors is limited by the crank l3, such opening movement being controlled by the throw of the crank 13 as it moves from its position shown in full lines in Figure 2 with the doors closed, to its position shown in dotted lines with the doors open. The doors 6 and I being limited in opening movement are thus operative to retard the flow of concrete out of the bucket A.

By this arrangement, it will be apparent that the opening movement of the doors 6 and I is permitted by rotation of shaft M to impart a downward movement to the actuating member l2. As the shaft I4 is rotated to impart an upward movement to the actuating member l2, it will be apparent that the links i5 will be drawn upwardly to impart a simultaneous closing movement to both of the doors 6 and I.

Since the mechanism F includes adjustable stop and trip control devices in accordance with the disclosure of Reissue Patent No. 15,768, it will be apparent that the doors 6 and 7 will be movable to open positions to prove a pair of parallel rectangular openings through which its aggregates may stream out of the bucket. It will also be noted that the doors 6 and I move in the same rotational direction between open and closed positions because of the provision of the spaced pivotal mountings 8 and It for the doors 6 and I and the manner in which the mechanism operates to simultaneously control movement of both doors.

Heretofore, the practise has been to provide a single door and opening in the bottom 4 of the distributing bucket. In such constructions, there is a tendency of the aggregates to pack between the door and the lower edge of the forward end wall of the distributing bucket by reason of the fact that all the particles of aggregates in the bucket are tending to move toward the single opening. This tendency is particularly pronounced where extremely coarse aggregates are being used in the concrete mix. In addition, there is a tendency of the aggregates to become separated as they move from remote parts of the distributing bucket to the single discharge opening. Furthermore, in order that the aggregates will be properly discharged from the distributing bucket and deposited on the surface of the ground to the desired depth, it is necessary to carry the bucket in a position substantially elevated from the surface of the ground on which the concrete is to be deposited. As the falling aggregates in such constructions strike the ground, there is a further undesirable segregation of the particles of aggregate.

In the present construction, the provision of the two doors enables the concrete aggregates to be discharged from the distributing bucket in a divided stream or in two substantially separate streams. All the particles of aggregate in the distributing bucket are not thereby compelled to move towards a single opening and the tendency of theaggregates to pack in the discharge opening is thereby eliminated. YVhen the doors 6 and I are permitted to move to their open positions, as illustrated by the dotted lines in the drawing, and the bucket is moved along the boom over the surface of the ground, it will be apparent that the concrete will bedeposited on the ground in two superimposed layers. As the bucket is moved to the right, as viewed from the drawing, the ribbon-like layer of concrete being discharged through the opening uncovered by the door 6 will be deposited on the ground first and the layer of concrete being discharged from the opening uncovered by the door 7 will be deposited upon the top of the first layer of concrete, the thickness of the ribbon-like layers of concrete being determined by the amount of opening movement permitted to the doors 6 and I.

By discharging the concrete from the bucket A in a divided stream, and depositing the same in two superimposed ribbon-like layers of concrete on the ground, it is possible to position the distributing bucket closer to the surface of the ground than is the case where a single door is used.

Accordingly, it will be apparent that the lowering of the position of the distributing bucket decreases the distance which the concrete aggregates have to fall therefrom, and thereby decreases the amount of segregation of the parti- 018s of aggregation caused when the particles of aggregate are stopped in their downward movement.

Having thus described my invention, what I and from closed and open positions, said mechv taneously controlling movement of the doors to anism connected to the doors and operative to limit the extent of opening movement of the doors, said doors when in limited open position being operative to retard the flow of concrete out of the bucket and to provide a pair of separate transverse openings through which concrete aggregates may stream out of the bucket in separate retarded streams and be deposited on the ground in layer form as the bucket is moved along said boom.

EDWARD H. MORTAG. 

